


The Treasure that is closer than you think

by DarkMythicality (ClaxiaUramaki)



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Armory Store Assistant!Stevie, Blacksmith!Jen, City boy!Rhett, Inn Keeper!Chase, M/M, Magic Is a Thing, Village boy!Link, monsters are also a thing, rhett makes fun of link, tags and rating will be updated as the story progresses, title might change as well, treasure finding, what are these tags wowie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 21:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17609345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaxiaUramaki/pseuds/DarkMythicality
Summary: King Nartu Fody was close to his death. He had been ill for quite a while, insisting that he was just experiencing a cold. But with time, it became worse. Doctors couldn't do much anymore, except suggesting to continue the country tradition before it was too late.The note was short but direct.“I have sent my loyal knights to hide my treasure somewhere in the country. The treasure contains a half of my wealth.Whoever finds it first, must bring it to me. But it is not easy to be found.But worry and fear not- as I will provide you with clues so you can succeed in your search”“... You really don't know what you're getting yourself into...” Is what Rhett says to the sleeping man next to him.





	The Treasure that is closer than you think

Mister Lewis and Miss Sue had a beautiful boy. Dark hair, bright blue eyes... however, as he grew, his sight turned to be not the best. In the end, their good child had to wear glasses, to which he didn't seem to like very much. He cried upon receiving the notice about getting glasses. But as years passed, the kid got comfortable wearing them. And it actually made him look smart! Girls would easily fall for him.

His name was Link. Well, not exactly. In reality, he was called Charles Lincoln, but the boy never liked how _formal_ it sounded. Link sounded more approachable, or that's how he felt. So he nicknamed himself that way.

Link this, Link that. Everyone ended up calling him that way- even his parents. Not very often but they still did, which he appreciated a lot. Link Neal. Village boy.

He loved his village and the people in it. The mood was often positive and cheerful- villagers were so loving and nice. Stores filled with goodies, bakeries attracting customers with the scent of newly made bread and other pastries. Wolf's Land was one of the best places of the whole country so Link was very lucky to be born here.

But at the same time, he wanted to see what was outside of this place. He wanted to explore the rest of the world, experience adventures, meet new people. When he was little, this place felt gigantic to him. But until he reached adulthood, it started to feel rather tiny. He knew everyone and got along with people. And it was fine but he craved for new things.

 

* * *

 

“Lewis, Link! Come take a look at this, quick! It's a note from the King!”

Link was in his room working on the lyrics of a song when his mom called out. He dropped his pen on his desk and ran downstairs. They had never received a note from the King so he was very anxious and excited to know what was up with that.

Sue held the note in front of her, with her husband and son on her sides.

King Nartu Fody was close to his death. He had been ill for quite a while, insisting that he was just experiencing a cold. But with time, it became worse. Doctors couldn't do much anymore, except suggesting to continue the country tradition before it was too late.

The note was short but direct.

“ _I have sent my loyal knights to hide my treasure somewhere in the country. The treasure contains a half of my wealth._

_Whoever finds it first, must bring it to me. But it is not easy to be found._

_But worry and fear not- as I will provide you with clues so you can succeed in your search_ ”

Sue read the clues and Link felt immediately overwhelmed. He wasn't good at riddles, he was horrible at them. So for a second, he felt discouraged, but Lewis made sure his discouragement turned into courage. He was well aware that his son wanted to explore the world and experience new things. Even if he wasn't going to find the treasure, it would be a good excuse to start living his own life. Sue supported his husband, encouraging her son as well, even if it would be sad to see him leave. And who knew? Maybe he would come across the treasure by accident! It was a probability.

Link went to bed that night thinking about his parent's words. He was so happy to have them. So supportive, loving. He didn't even have to convince them! Which was... strange, considering that the outskirts could be dangerous. He was a stubborn boy as well, so he supposed his parents didn't argue because he would have insisted a lot.

 

* * *

 

He spent the next days preparing himself. Working part-time at some stores to buy equipment and resources he was going to need. He bought a horse, a sword and a shield, a backpack so he could carry whatever he needed for his journey. He was ready to go. Except he had a small request to ask his parents.

“Can I bring Jade with me?”

The question caught his parents by surprise. They basically owned their small dog, but even so, she loved and enjoyed Link's company way more. If Link left, Jade would start searching around and whimper nonstop. So after a bit of thinking, they agreed of letting go of her. They could always get another one, after all- but her presence would be missed a lot.

After a few kisses and hugs, he said goodbye to his family and friends. And apparently he wasn't the only one leaving the village- there were people he knew that were going after the treasure as well, wanting to become wealthy and important. Luckily Link didn't share the same feeling. The idea of becoming wealthy and important sounded good, yeah, but... money didn't bring happiness. And he was fine the way he was, he didn't need to become important.

On his way to the first city, Crecstead, he was already amazed by the landscape that surrounded him. He got to see flowers that didn't grow in the village, huge trees and even a forest in the distance. But the city wasn't that way, so he didn't bother to check it out. He followed a path that lead directly to his destination.

Despite being very sunny, there was a nice and cold breeze around that he really enjoyed. Between that and the incredible scent of nature that surrounded him, Link was in a great mood and his excitement only increased.

His trip to Crecstead was short. At least, it felt that way. In reality, it wasn't, it took him about 5 hours to reach the city _by horse._ But the man was so mesmerized by the landscape that he spaced out quite a lot and before he realized it, he found himself at the gates of the place. It was closed off though, for some reason... he looked around curiously, jumping off his horse and leading it closer. He knocked on it a few times, obtaining no reply. Did anyone even hear the knocks? The gate was huge and it sounded pretty lively inside.

He took a few steps back and looked at the towers situated over the walls. There was a guard sleeping in there. _Sorry mister guard, but I need to get in_.

“Hey! Guard!” He called out. It took him a few tries to wake up the sleeping guard.

The guard didn't seem to happy about been woken up, so he groaned and peeked down. “Who the heck are you?” He asked.

“My name is Link!” He said out loud. “Can I get in?”

“We don't allow outsiders, mister” The guard grumbled.

“What??” Link looked disappointed. “I've-- I've traveled for hours! From Wolf's Land!” He complained. “Come on, man!”

“I said we DON'T allow outsiders! Now piss off!!”

Link frowned and flipped the bird at the guard, to which he returned and went back to sleeping on his chair.

The man was _so_ frustrated. He approached his horse and picked up Jade, who seemed very hungry. She wasn't whimpering or anything, but she had those big, cute eyes that yelled ' _Please, give me some food'_. Link sighed and put her down, taking some food from a small bag that hung from the horse's saddle and holding it into his hands. He sat on the grass and held his hands down, letting his small dog eat from there.

His frustration faded a little and he only felt rather upset. Things didn't start very good for him and he tried his best to not be very affected by that jerk, but... it was hard.

Link shivered. He didn't know what time it was. Surely past his bedtime, considering how dark and cold it was getting. He sighed, considering returning to Wolf's Land just to sleep, but that would mean another 5-hour trip. He frowned again and stood up when Jade finished eating, trotting away to take care of her needs. He put the remaining dog food in the small sack and approached the gates, looking up at the tower the guard was in. Deep asleep. Was it worth it to wake him up just to get cursed at again? Link grumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Come on, man, just let me in. I'm freezing over here!”

But the man didn't respond. Probably didn't even wake up, or... he was good at pretending to be asleep. Link sighed irritated and kicked the ground.

“What are you doing here?”

The man heard a voice behind him- a male voice. Deep, soothing. He turned around just to see a huge man, blond with green eyes, holding a big sack over his shoulder. Link felt immediately intimidated by the guy's height, but he tried his best to keep his ground.

“That guy over there won't let me in” He replied to the blonde, looking up at the sleeping ward and pointing at him. “He said that they don't allow outsiders”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Well, it's technically true, we don't.” He said, dropping down the sack and rubbing his lower back. Link noticed that the blonde flinched a little and grunted when he did that but decided not to ask. It wasn't his business. “But you haven't answered my question, kid”

Link looked offended, being called 'kid'. “First of all, I'm not a kid, I'm 24 and my name is _Link_ ” He said with an annoyed tone. “And I'm here because I got the king's letter. I want to try and find that treasure”

There was a bit of silence between them. The blonde thought Link was joking, so he waited for him to say 'I'm just kidding' but considering that wasn't happening, he burst into laughs. He was wheezing and laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.

“Why the heck are you laughing?! I'm being serious!” Complained Link.

“I just-- oh my gooosh” The blonde continued laughing and rubbed his teary eyes. “You? Finding the treasure? All by yourself? You _must_ be kidding.” He said, staring at Link. His face said otherwise. “I can't believe it. You're not going to find it on your own, kid” He grabbed the sack once again and approached the gate, calling the guard with a loud whistle.

The guard got up immediately and rolled down a lever, slowly opening the gate for the blonde and tall man.  
Link looked even more offended. _'He wasn't asleep at all! That freaking bastard--'_ he gritted his teeth, pissed off.

“You let him in but not me?! What the heck dude?!” He complained.

“Rhett is a citizen, you idiot. You're just an outsider. Go away”

 _So his name is Rhett, huh. Perfect name for a jerk_ , he thought as he gave Rhett a glance, who was walking into the city.

“Just let him in. He's one of those Seekers.” Rhett said.

“Seekers?”

“You know, those people that start looking for the king's hidden treasure. Everyone got a letter today.”

The guard remained silent and looked at Link, who was close to having his head fuming.

“... Fine. He could have said so. Seekers are allowed in the city...” He grumbled.

“YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO ASK ME!” Link stomped to his horse, looking around for Jade. No sight of her, which wasn't normal at all. He grew extremely worried in just a second. “J-Jade? Jade, where are you?” He looked around for his dog. In the distance, he saw a black spot and a white spot together. He squinted his eyes and adjusted his glasses. That was... Jade. And she was playing with... another dog? Another dog about her size, white and fluffy. “Jade!” He sighed in relief seeing she was okay and approached her, picking her up. “You scared me, don't do that again”

Jade only licked his face and wagged her tail. The other white dog at his feet looked up at them, wagging its tail as well. Link gave it a look and the white dog zoomed to the gates. Rhett was still standing there, looking back, seeming to be waiting for something. Was this dog his? Considering how hyped and happy the white dog looked when it reached Rhett, Link came to the conclusion that yes. That fluffy dog belonged to the tall guy. It was more obvious when he picked it up and carried it inside.

Link held Jade close to him and returned to his horse, leading it inside the city with the leash.

Despite being night time (and past his bedtime), the city still had quite a few people around. There was loud music coming from the inn, bright lights in the streets, scents of various foods. Link was practically amazed! Crecstead was an incredible place, but... he didn't think he'd be able to live in a place like this. He was more of a chill guy so villages and places like that were more of his liking. Then again, he grew up in the village and lived there his entire life. Maybe his preferences would be different if he lived in a city. Maybe he wouldn't even be the same person if he did.

“Thanks for telling that guy to let me in, but I still feel annoyed that you literally laughed in my face” Link walked up to Rhett, followed by his dog.

“I couldn't help myself.” Rhett grinned. “I find it funny that you think you will find that treasure _all_ by yourself. You don't even look like you have any idea what you're getting yourself into”

The dark-haired scowled. “Well, that's not very nice of you. You don't even know me and you're already judging me. You're kind of a jerk, aren't you”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Not my fault that you look like a nervous noodle”

“What the-- nervous noodle??”

The tall man laughed, finding very amusing to pick on Link. He obviously didn't appreciate it though, he was actually getting quite pissed. It didn't help that that guard annoyed him earlier.

Rhett stopped in front of the inn and gestured at it. “Get yourself a room. You won't be able to buy a house here unless you've done stuff for the city.”

“I wasn't planning on staying forever either.” Link raised an eyebrow. “Maybe just a couple of nights. I want to explore around before I move to somewhere else”

“Sounds like a plan”

Both of them walked in the inn after dropping Link's horse at the stable. The entrance was somewhat filled, men and women of all ages waiting to register in here. The person in charge was a young boy, a little chubby with very fluffy hair and a stubble beard. He attended people with a very sweet smile, wishing them a good night after completing their registration.

What annoyed Link the most was the loud music coming from the bar. He could see a glimpse of a band playing with lutes, drums and flutes on a stage and people dancing and cheering. If he was going to stay here how was he going to sleep here? The man was visibly bothered and Rhett couldn't help but mention it.

“You're going to scare people with that face you're making”

Link sighed, irritated. “You told me to get a room but I-- I don't think I'd be able to sleep at all with that loud music. When are they going to stop?”

The blonde made a face. “Uhh, they don't really stop until very late. Those guys are working after all”

“I don't think I can stay here then” Link sighed and turned around, but he was stopped by Rhett, his hand on his shoulder.

“People still come to sleep, man. The rooms are soundproof with magic.”

Link made a face. Magic. Right, that thing existed.  
Magic wasn't very common in his village. To be more exact, no one really used it, not even the ones that knew how to use it or had powers. Everyone did stuff manually, with their own hands and brain. It wasn't illegal at all, either. His village just preferred to work that way.

But Rhett managed to change his mind and that was good.

“Alright, whatever you say... and how much is it? For a night, for example?” He decided to ask.

“10 coins a night”

“And if I want to stay a month?”

“Do the math, dude”

Link scowled again. “There's no discount?”

Rhett shrugged. “I dunno, I never asked. I know you get a discount if you share a room with someone in the city, but that's about it”

Link made a weirded out face. Was that an invitation? He was an outsider, Rhett a citizen. He squinted a little and crossed his arms, not knowing how to reply properly.

“What?”

“I don't know if you're suggesting me to share a room with you”

Rhett made a face, thinking. “... Not exactly, but now that you mention it, you could do that. There's a spare bed in my room”

Link was even more weirded out. He was a citizen yet he slept at the inn? “Don't you have your own house?”

Rhett shook his head. “No, I don't. Once I left my parent's house I thought it was more convenient to sleep at the inn. Plus, I made quite the money by selling the house”

“You sold your parent's house?? What-- why did you do that? What did they say?”

Rhett didn't reply. He looked down a little and cleared his throat. Link blinked a few times, processing the guy's reaction. He had the feeling that Rhett's parents weren't here anymore, which would explain his silence...

“... I-I'm sorry. I didn't know” Link bowed his head, feeling very bad.

“Don't worry about it” Rhett said simply, avoiding looking at Link now.

The air between them felt awkward now, quite tense as well. They moved when the line progressed, and a few minutes later, they were at the front desk.

“Hey Chase” Rhett greeted the guy behind the desk, and he greeted with a smile.

“What's up?” The guy (whose name was Chase, apparently), took out a sheet of paper with some stuff in it for Link to fill up, but Rhett shook his head.

“This guy's gonna share a room with me, so bring out mine so he can sign it”

“Oh” Chase blinked and took a look at Link. “Made a new friend?” He asked curiously as he looked through some folders, trying to find Rhett's sheet.

The tall man shrugged and nodded. “You could say that” He answered. It wasn't true though, they were far from being friends. Link still thought he was quite a jerk for laughing at him, even if he felt bad for hurting his feelings by asking the wrong questions.

“But he still has to pay his part at the end of the month, you know that?” Warned Chase, finding Rhett's sheet and pulling it out on the table, handing Link a pen so he could start signing stuff.

“I supposed that” Link replied instead, filling the sheet with his name, his sign. It took him just a few seconds to sign everything and he put the pen down.

Chase nodded putting the sheet back in a folder and he smiled at both guys. “Alright, everything's set then. Rhett has the key already, but you can get a copy of it at the blacksmith's.”

Link blinked surprised. A blacksmith! No one worked as a blacksmith at his village, materials, armor, and weapons came from outside. He was quite excited to see what kind of blacksmith Crecstead had, so he smiled. “Okay, thank you very much”

Rhett rolled his shoulder, starting to feel sore. He was still carrying the sack from before, and it was starting to feel heavy. “Let's go to my room so we can drop our stuff in there and go to the blacksmith.”

Link nodded and waved bye at Chase, heading upstairs with Rhett. His dog went ahead of them, wagging its tail excitedly.

The hallway was long and filled with paintings of landscapes. There were small tables against the wall, with some figurines and vases with a variety of flowers. He could still hear the music from the bar, but it was rather muffled now. Still annoying though. He hoped Rhett was right, about the rooms being soundproof with magic.

They arrived at the end of the hallway and while Rhett searched for his key, Link looked through the huge window. He could see more of the city from here and it was... beautiful, honestly. He could see the sky as well and it was filled with sparkly balls of fire. He couldn't help but smile widely at the sight. Rhett noticed and he chuckled as he unlocked the door. His dog zoomed in and didn't waste time on jumping onto Rhett's bed, spinning a few times before flopping down, curled up like a ball.

“You grow used to this.” He mentioned, walking into the room and dropping the bag next to his bed, which was closer to the window. The room was quite big. Two beds, a big and round table with dim lighting above it, nightstands next to the beds, a wardrobe and some small tables with decorations on it. It had more paintings on landscapes, but what caught his attention was how _big_ that window was. It almost filled the entire wall.

However, Link was annoyed. He was about to comment on how he still could hear the muffled music from the bar, but once Rhett closed the door, silence filled the room. He stood quietly on purpose for a moment, proving to the dark-haired that the room was really soundproof.

“Told ya” Rhett chuckled, seeing Jade squirm in Link's arms. He let go of her and watched her jump on Rhett's bed as well, wanting to be with her new friend. “Dogs befriend each other so easily, don't they”

“Yeah...” Link decided to put his stuff next to the other bed. It was perfectly made, no wrinkles or anything. Unlike Rhett's. It was a complete mess but he was no one to comment on that.

“Well, once you're ready to go, just come downstairs and we'll get the copy of your key” The taller one said, walking out of the room.

Link nodded without saying anything and he started taking out stuff from his bag. From time to time he would look at Jade and Rhett's dog, who were smelling each other and playing on Rhett's bed. It was a very cute sight. Of course, he had seen this before, Jade was friends with other dogs in the village, but for some reason, she seemed to be having more fun playing with Rhett's dog. He decided not to bring her with him to the blacksmith and just leave her here.

He finished placing the essentials at reach. There was still stuff in his bag, like clothes and other equipment, but this was Rhett's room. He would need to ask him where to put everything else.

Eventually he went downstairs and met with Rhett outside, where he lead him to the blacksmith's place. While on their way there, Link took the opportunity to look around. There was an armory shop, a bakery shop, some clothing and groceries stores, toy stores... there were so many stores he couldn't keep up! It was amazing. Then again, this city was big, at least 5 times bigger than his village, so it made sense that it had a lot more stores.

After a bit of walking, he could hear a hammer smashing against something metallic. And in the distance, he saw a buff blonde woman, doing just that. She seemed to be working on a greatsword, seeing how long the blade was. It was amazing!

When they were closer, Link could see that the woman was _very_ buff. Well, not that very, but she had strong arms like she lifted weights or something like that. Either way, she looked like someone who could kill another someone with a mere punch on the face. She looked quite intimidating in that position, but when she heard them approach, Link could see she was just a sweet-looking girl.

“Hey” She greeted, putting the hammer down to greet Rhett.

“Hello Jen” He greeted back.

“I'm done with your shield, but I still need to polish it. It'll be done by tomorrow”

“Oh yeah? Cool, thanks. But I didn't come for that, I have a small request”

“What's up?” Jen looked down at the key Rhett was showing and pointed at Link.

“I'm gonna share my room with this new guy, so can you do a copy of my key so I can hand it to him?”

Jen looked at Link for a moment, then at Rhett. Then back at Link, then at Rhett. She raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask questions- at least not yet. She would when Link wouldn't be around. She nodded and grabbed the key.

“Just give me a few minutes”

Rhett nodded and watched her grab a few materials to do a mold of the key. Link approached the blonde.

“You seem to be friends with everyone here”

Rhett chuckled. “Well, I've lived here my entire life, so yeah. Eventually, I made friends with everyone. Which is cool because I can get discounts that not even special clients get to have” He said with a teasing tone, looking proud. Link simply shrugged, finding it convenient. Sure it was a little unfair but... if he had a business, he'd probably do the same thing. Mostly because he would feel bad making his friends pay for stuff.

The next few minutes that passed were quiet. Link didn't know what else to talk about so he watched how Jen made an exact copy of Rhett's key. When she was done, she approached the two men, accidentally about to hand the key to Rhett as a habit, but she quickly moved her arm to hand it to Link. “Here you go”

“Thank you very much” He put his key in his pocket and grabbed a few coins from there. “How much is it?”

“Just two coins” Jen shrugged. “It's just a small key, it doesn't require much material,” She said. Link handed her the two coins and she stuck them in the small bag that hung from her belt.

Rhett grinned at his friend. “Thanks, Jen, you're awesome”

She shrugged and smiled. “I just do the stuff I'm good at, that's all.”

After some more small talk between the three of them, Rhett said goodbye to Jen and walked back to the inn with Link. It took the shorter one by surprised when the blonde decided to talk this time.

“You will need better equipment if you plan on going after the treasure”

“Huh?” Link looked over at the taller one and raised an eyebrow. “Better equipment? Shouldn't I be fine with that sword?”

“I mean, if you plan on cutting butter with it, yeah” Rhett shrugged. “I don't know how much it cost you but man. I've never seen such a dull sword in my entire life” He laughed.

Link scowled. “Come on!!” He crossed his arms, obviously looking annoyed. “Dull or not _at least_ I had a weapon to defend myself with on the way here” He shrugged as well and shook his head. “Even if there weren't any monsters... _still_ ”

Rhett sighed and looked over at the shorter one. “I guess you have a point. _Still_ , you should have better equipment. So, in the morning, I'll wake you up and we'll head to the armory shop. Stevie has some good stuff in there”

“Stevie?”

“Ah, another friend of mine. Jen and she kinda worked together. Jen builds swords and armor and Stevie sells them. Of course, that's not the only thing they sell, they have other stuff too.” He smiled. “You can have a look around tomorrow”

Link pursed his lips a little, looking down. He liked the idea of checking out the armory shop but he wasn't rich. He probably wouldn't be able to afford much from there. He kinda hoped Rhett would mention some kind of discount for something... but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. They arrived at the inn and he didn't say anything else. _Bummer_.

They greeted Chase once more and just when they were about to go upstairs, Rhett stopped hearing a certain laugh coming from the bar. “Speaking of the devil” he headed to the place, and Link followed out of curiosity.

He could hear the music clearer now, and it was quite pleasant this time. The band was playing a soothing and relaxing song now and Link liked that a lot. Aside from the stage with the band playing on it, there were tables spread around, a fireplace and a woman serving drinks. It wasn't a bar but a tavern! The tavern and the inn were fused together! Link was amazed.

“Stevie, hey!” Rhett moved quickly towards a table, where two girls sat next to each other drinking alcohol. Link supposed it was beer, considering the color and the bubbles. But he didn't know which one of the girls was Stevie, so he approached too, not so much though. He kept his distance, feeling a bit awkward when Rhett talked. “Flirting again?”

“Mmm, you got me” The girl with blond and longer hair replied with a chuckle. This city had a lot of blonde people. Rhett was blonde, Jen was blonde, Stevie was blonde. The only one that was dark-haired just like him was Chase. “But it's my day off, let me have fun” She laughed.

“I let you, I let you” Rhett grinned and motioned Link to approach. “Hey, this guy needs equipment tomorrow.”

  
“I have a name, you know” Link scowled, bothered by that. “And I think I already told you”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “ _Link_ needs equipment tomorrow. You think you could open up your shop for a few minutes?” He asked.

Stevie took a look at Link and sipped her beer, shrugging lightly. “Maybe. Who's this?”

“He's a Seeker. Ol' Nartu Fody sent his treasure letter this morning and this guy thinks he'll get it” He snickered.

“Can you stop laughing at me?” Link looked angry now. “You've done that all night, you're annoying me” He grumbled, crossing his arms. “Besides, I don't think I'll get it. I'm just using it as an excuse to explore. Maybe I'll come across the treasure- they say you find things when you stop looking for them”

Stevie shrugged again. “But that's just it, a saying. Doesn't mean it's true.” Link rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh. The girl noticed he looked very bothered and upset, so after taking a long sip from her beer, she looked at him. “Fine, okay. I'll open up the shop for you, but it'll have to be quick. I don't want people to think my store's open when it isn't.”

“Uh” Link was surprised with Stevie's change of mind, but he appreciated it. “Th-Thank you” He said, smiling at the girl. She smiled back at him.

“I guess that's it” Rhett said then. “We'll leave you be for tonight then.” Stevie nodded and waved at them, and they finally went upstairs.

Following Rhett back to their room, the dark-haired spoke up. “I noticed that your friends have very convenient jobs” He mentioned. “Chase is the innkeeper, Jen is the blacksmith, Stevie takes care of the armory shop...”

“What are you implying?” Rhett didn't look at him.

Link shrugged. “... Nothing really” but that was a lie. “I think it's funny” He muttered trying not to raise suspicion, but he failed miserably. Rhett was already suspicious.

“Why do you think it's funny?” He stopped in front of his door, looking down at Link.

He felt quite intimidated right now. It was already scary that this guy was _so tall_ , and it didn't help that he was staring at him that way. He felt his knees shaking a little but he tried his best to keep his ground. “... I-I don't know. Don't mind me” He said quickly, hoping Rhett would drop the subject.

The taller one raised his eyebrow, still having his eyes stuck on Link. He wasn't looking at him anymore. Rhett sighed and shook his head, opening the door and walking in, silent. Link let out a long sigh of relief, placing a hand on his own chest. It was beating hard and fast and... just _wow_. He took a few seconds to recover from that, and just when he was about to enter the room, he heard a loud rumble. The place started to shake a little, then a little more, then violently. Everything shook, Rhett's dog and Jade whimpered, scared, jumping down Rhett's bed to hide under it.

Figures, vases and paintings fell on the ground, breaking in pieces. Link freaked out obviously and rushed inside the room. He didn't know what to do, and it seemed like Rhett didn't know either. He looked surprised and somewhat anxious, which didn't make Link feel better. Earthquakes weren't normal here, it seemed.

“What the fuck--” And the rumble and shaking stopped. The room stood in silence, but not for long. The blonde rushed outside, going to check on others. Link was left in there, sitting on his bed and looking at the mess that the earthquake caused. Eventually Jade and Rhett's dog got out from under Rhett's bed, and Jade rushed to jump on Link's lap. Rhett's dog was left standing there, whimpering, wondering where its master was. The dark-haired felt bad and caught its attention by flicking his fingers.

The dog turned his attention at Link and seeing that Jade was in his lap, it joined with her as well, curling up. He felt so bad. Both of them were shaking and he tried his best to calm them down, stroking their fur, caressing their heads and rubbing their tummies. Jade seemed to calm down but the other dog didn't. It kept whimpering, looking at the door. _When is Rhett coming back? Jesus Christ_ , he thought, frowning a little.

Link opted to get in bed already. He was super tired, it was past his bedtime by two hours and he needed to rest for the incoming journey that waited for him. He was so tired that he didn't remember to change into his pajama or even take his glasses off. He passed out right there, with Jade sleeping right next to his chest. Rhett's dog was waiting for him by the door, whimpering quietly.

Eventually, he came back and noticed his dog on the ground. He picked it up and calmed it down by holding it like a baby, rubbing its tummy and smooching it on the forehead. It calmed down in no time and licked his face. Rhett smiled walking up to his bed and carefully placing his dog on it, noticing that Link had already passed out.

“... I don't know if you sleep with your glasses on, but... I'm taking them off anyway” He muttered to himself, walking up to the sleeping dark-haired and taking off his glasses, placing them on the nightstand next to the bed.

He changed into his pajamas, which was plaid and dark blue, very comfy. He laid down on his bed and his dog jumped on his chest, nuzzling against his fuzzy beard and face, wagging its tail fastly and happily. Rhett chuckled, caressing its head. “Come on Barbara, it's sleepy time” He muttered to her, and just as she understood him, she curled up on the pillow, next to his head. Then, he laid on his side, staring at his sleeping roommate.

“... You really don't know what you're getting yourself into...”


End file.
